SUBJECT: Topic: History: Ancient Egypt
Week Learning objectives
1
Understand the vocabulary BCE and place
periods of time in the correct order
Understand the importance of the River Nile
in the location of Ancient Egyptian civilisation
Begin to understand the social structure of
life in Ancient Egypt.
YEAR GROUP: 4
TEACHER: Beata Kruk-Zabawa
Activities (in brief)
Introduce the topic, discuss key terms related to ancient civilisations
Find Egypt on globe, discuss what children already know about Egypt – now and then
Look at the map of ancient Egypt, find and locate in time the Old, Middle and New
Kingdoms. Draw a map of ancient Egypt starting with the outline of Egypt and the path of
the River Nile. The children then add and label the three Ancient Kingdoms
Discuss the social pyramid of ancient Egypt, describe the different layers.
Make a simple timeline of ancient Egypt, with the three kingdoms.
2
Understand the role of the Pharaoh in
Ancient Egyptian society
Understand social, cultural diversity in
Ancient Egypt.
Discuss the role of pharaohs in ancient Egypt and how they were considered to be the link
between the gods and the people.
Talk about the first pharaoh, Narmer and research information about him
Look for images of double crown of Egypt (to be made in D.T.)
3
Place Egypt’s most famous pharaohs in
chronological order.
4
Order the chronology of pyramid building
correctly, using dates and appropriate
vocabulary
Research interesting facts about famous pharaohs. Children create a small sketch of each
pharaoh using the pictures, books and the internet as stimulus. Each sketch should be
labelled, dated and placed in the correct place on the timeline.
Look at the Step Pyramid, discuss its shape as a gigantic stairway for Zoser to join the sun
god in the sky. Discuss how it was made, what material it is made from and make Lego
pyramids in D.T.
Discuss with the children already know about Egyptian burial sites. Use internet and
reference books to explore how the pyramid building developed; order the different types
of pyramids correctly, discuss the changes and improvements. Research information about
5
6
7
Learn about features of societies
Identify and understand results of historical
events
Understand the importance of the Rosetta
Stone
Understand how writing was used in ancient
Egypt.
Understand characteristic features of the
past.
Learn about social diversity of societies
studied.
Understand how a job was a measure of your
status in ancient Egypt
Study the social diversity of the societies
studied
Understand the characteristic features of
ancient Egypt including experiences and
attitudes of men and women.
Learn the full story of the discovery of
Tutankhamen’s tomb & understand its
importance in the world of history &
archaeology.
Learn about features, ideas & beliefs of
societies/people in the past
famous pyramids of Giza, Meidum Pyramid etc Work together as little archeologists or
historians on the chronology of the pyramids; p-ut pictures in the correct order.
Show examples of hieroglyphs and explain that these are a form of writing used by the
ancient Egyptians. Read a story about the discovery of Rosetta Stone. Children work in
pairs and in ability groups to try to work out various code systems . When they have
worked it out, they try to write a short message using this code. These messages are then
around the group for de-ciphering.
Talk about the job of a scribe.
Children are provided with a copy of a student scribe’s practice board and practise using a
grid to copy the images and symbols on the board.
Recap on the lesson about social structure of ancient Egypt. Discuss different layers of the
pyramid Read about the life of a carpenter. Discuss what additional skills were needed to
move up from the bottom layer of the pyramid. Make a list of qualities and skills. Look at
the job of a scribe. Explore what additional skills they have that allow them to have a
higher status
Children write a short letter of application taking into account the skills and experience
needed to move up a layer.
Research Tutankhamen and find out about his life, reign and death from books and
internet. Read about the discovery of his tomb in 1922. Discuss what the discovery tells us
about ancient Egyptians. Chn imagine they have been asked to catalogue Tutankhamen’s
treasures for the National Egyptian Museum. Each item will need a picture, a short
description and where known its use.
8
Identify and describe reasons for historical
events
Find out about people and events from range
of sources
Recall, select and organise historical
information.
Learn about the religious diversities of
Date to be decided: Visit the Archeological Museum in Kraków to see an exhibition Gods
societies studied
of ancient Egypt and take part in a workshop related to hieroglyphic writing
Find out about people events from a range of Summarise what the children have learnt about ancient Egypt.
sources including artefacts in a museum.